United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

United Therapeutics Co. (NASDAQ:UTHR) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and twelve have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $378.36.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group increased their price objective on United Therapeutics from $415.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of United Therapeutics from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of United Therapeutics from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. HC Wainwright raised their price target on United Therapeutics from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on United Therapeutics from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st.

Insider Activity at United Therapeutics

In other news, Director Judy D. Olian sold 1,750 shares of United Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $412.48, for a total transaction of $721,840.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 5,655 shares in the company, valued at $2,332,574.40. This trade represents a 23.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Louis W. Sullivan sold 26,209 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $373.22, for a total transaction of $9,781,722.98. Following the transaction, the director now owns 5,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,885,134.22. This represents a 83.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 146,848 shares of company stock worth $55,165,099. 11.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Therapeutics

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTHR. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 4,525 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,441,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in United Therapeutics by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,913 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,761,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Therapeutics by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 2,151 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $775,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Therapeutics by 14.0% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 343 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $109,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its position in shares of United Therapeutics by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 2,681 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $961,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.08% of the company’s stock.

United Therapeutics Trading Up 0.2 %

NASDAQ UTHR opened at $371.89 on Friday. United Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $208.62 and a 12 month high of $417.82. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $365.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $355.24. The stock has a market cap of $16.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.33, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.57.

United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The biotechnology company reported $6.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.16 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $748.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $722.62 million. United Therapeutics had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 19.22%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.38 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that United Therapeutics will post 25.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About United Therapeutics

United Therapeutics Corporation, a biotechnology company, engages in the development and commercialization of products to address the unmet medical needs of patients with chronic and life-threatening diseases in the United States and internationally. The company offers Tyvaso DPI, an inhaled dry powder via pre-filled and single-use cartridges; Tyvaso, an inhaled solution via ultrasonic nebulizer; Remodulin (treprostinil) injection to treat patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to diminish symptoms associated with exercise; Orenitram, a tablet dosage form of treprostinil, to delay disease progression and improve exercise capacity in PAH patients; and Adcirca, an oral PDE-5 inhibitor to enhance the exercise ability in PAH patients.